PARAMOUNT’S INSURGE PICTURES AND TWITTER INVITE KATY PERRY’S FANS TO BE A PART OF THE UPCOMING 3D FEATURE FILM KATY PERRY: PART OF ME
In A First of its Kind Partnership, Katy Perry’s Millions of Twitter Fans Have an Opportunity to be Integrated into the Movie, Releasing this Summer
Paramount’s Insurge Pictures and Twitter announced today they have partnered to give Katy Perry’s fans on Twitter an exclusive opportunity to be a part of her upcoming feature film, KATY PERRY: PART OF ME, releasing this summer.
Over the next several months, Twitter and Paramount will jointly offer unprecedented access to one of the world’s most famous pop stars by offering multiple opportunities for Katy’s millions of Twitter fans to play a role in helping to shape the final film. From helping to choose which songs Katy will sing, to weighing in on her always exciting wardrobe options, this first-of-its kind interactive experience will set a new precedent for engaging movie going audiences on Twitter.
Fans can visit www.Twitter.com/KatyPerry to get involved. They can also follow Katy on Twitter to see exclusive behind-the-scenes content of the movie, which will provide fans a first-ever big-screen look at the international superstar’s life both on and off-stage.
"Kate Perry: Part of Me" is a really fun and engaging movie that celebrates every aspect of Katy’s life including her relationship with fans,” said Amy Powell, President of Insurge Pictures. “What better way to kick start the filmmaking process than by inviting her millions of fans on Twitter into her world.”
“Millions of Katy’s most passionate fans use Twitter every day to hear directly from her and get a unique glimpse into the life of one of music’s biggest stars,” said Dick Costolo, Twitter CEO. “With this new approach to filmmaking, Paramount is taking the connections forged on Twitter one step further by empowering people to take part in the movie.”
Fans can use the hashtag #KP3D to connect with each other and share on Twitter.
For more information, go to http://www.katyperrypartofme.com/, http://www.katyperry.com/ or follow Katy Perry on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/KatyPerry.
About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Casablanca: Still the Greatest 70 Years Later
Casablanca (1942) – B&W
– wide release in 1943 –
Running time: 103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz
WRITERS: Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch (based upon a play Every Body Comes to Rick’s by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison)
PRODUCER: Hal B. Wallis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Arthur Edeson
EDITOR: Owen Marks
Academy Award winner
FILM-NOIR/DRAMA/ROMANCE with elements of thriller
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Dooley Wilson, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, S.Z. Sakall, Madeleine LeBeau, Leonid Kinskey, and Corinna Mura
The subject of this movie review is the 1942 American romantic drama film, Casablanca. Starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the film was apparently considered, at the time of its production, to be just another Hollywood movie.
Casablanca: some consider it to be the best American film ever made; the winner of the Oscar for “Best Picture” at the 1944 Academy Awards certainly has a place in my holy trinity. Directed by Michael Curtiz, who won the directing Oscar for helming this film, Casablanca is a beloved and popular movie, cherished by film fans, movie historians, and film critics throughout America – then and now.
In the story: Casablanca (a city in Morocco, a country in northwest Africa), circa 1941, is easy to enter, but much harder to leave – especially for people trying to escape the Nazi infestation of Europe. Living a life of exile in Casablanca is American Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), who owns and operates Rick’s Café Américain. He’s a cynical man who sticks his neck out for no one, but his ex-lover Isla Lund (Ingrid Bergman) tests that rigid cynicism when she arrives in Casablanca with her husband, both on the run from Nazi persecutors.
Isla’s husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), is on the top of the Nazi’s most wanted list. Victor and Isla came to Casablanca seeking the transit papers/official documents that would get them safe passage to Lisbon, Portugal, from where they could leave for America. From the USA, Victor could continue his work in support of the various European undergrounds fighting the Nazi’s. However, the papers have come into Rick’s possession, and his bitterness at Isla for suddenly and mysteriously leaving him some years ago after a whirlwind Paris love affair. So when Isla offers herself to Rick in exchange for Victor’s safe transport out of the country, the bitter and angry Rick must decide what’s important – his happiness, revenge, or the countless lives that hang in the balance and depend of Victor Laszlo’s safe passage.
What can I say that hasn’t been said. Casablanca was the right movie at the right time. It’s the consummate Hollywood production – superbly acted and directed, and filmed with beautiful production values, including art direction, set decoration, cinematography, and editing. The film’s popularity at the time has much to do with America’s involvement in World War II. The Allies invaded Casablanca in real life on November 8, 1942, and Warner Bros. premiered Casablanca in New York about three and half weeks later. By the time, of the film’s wide release in 1943, the real life city was still in the news, and the film captured the sense that the good guys (represented by Rick, Isla, and Victor) were at war with the bad guys (the Nazi’s, best represented in the film by Major Strasser, played by Conrad Veidt), mirroring American’s situation. The semi-tragic romantic triangle of Rick, Isla, and Victor, the intense drama, the fictional Casablanca’s atmosphere of intrigue and danger all came touched audiences and continues to.
The miracle, considering that Casablanca began filming without a completed script and went through the usual casting difficulties, is not really that the film was popular then (it was, after all, topical), but is instead that the film remains a favorite and outshines most of the great films made after its release nearly 63 years ago.
10 of 10
NOTES:
1944 Academy Awards: 3 wins: “Best Director” (Michael Curtiz), “Best Picture” (Warner Bros.), and “Best Writing, Screenplay” (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch); 5 nominations: “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Humphrey Bogart), “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Claude Rains), “Best Cinematography, Black-and-White” (Arthur Edeson), “Best Film Editing” (Owen Marks), “Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture” (Max Steiner)
1989 National Film Preservation Board, USA: National Film Registry
Friday, September 9, 2005
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sting Download Comes With Purchase of "The Hunger Games" Soundtrack
Sting Performs “Deep in the Meadow (Lullaby)” for “the Hunger Games”: Songs from District 12 and Beyond
Available as a Free Download Beginning Tuesday, March 27
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The chart-topping companion album to the Lionsgate® film, The Hunger Games, "THE HUNGER GAMES": SONGS FROM DISTRICT 12 AND BEYOND, will unlock a free download of "Deep in the Meadow (Lullaby)" performed by world-renowned musician Sting beginning March 27, 2012. The track can also be purchased as a single from major digital retailers.
"Lullaby" remains a centerpiece of THE HUNGER GAMES. In the story, the protagonist Katniss [Jennifer Lawrence] learns the song from her father who sang it to her as a child. Passing down the tradition, Katniss sings it to her little sister Primrose, as well as to fellow Tribute Rue, to calm their fears.
16-time Grammy Award winner Sting delivers a powerful and poetic rendition of “Lullaby,” produced by acclaimed singer-songwriter and producer T-Bone Burnett. The pair last collaborated on 2003’s “You Will Be My Ain’ True Love” for the film, Cold Mountain. The song was subsequently nominated for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe.
Upon purchasing the album, fans can go to www.thehungergamesmovie.com/lullaby in order to get the track as a free download.
As one of the world’s most respected performers, Sting recently celebrated his 25th anniversary as a solo artist with the release of the definitive box set collection 25 Years as well as The Best Of 25 Years. The free iPad app, STING 25, also serves as a commemoration of this milestone. He is currently on the celebrated Back to Bass world tour, and will soon embark on a tour throughout North America and Europe this summer.
Download "Deep in the Meadow (Lullaby)" by Sting on Tuesday March 27th.
About THE HUNGER GAMES
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.
Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister’s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she’s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, with a screenplay by Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 26 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following. It has spent more than 180 consecutive weeks/more than three consecutive years to date on The New York Times bestseller list since its publication in September 2008, and has also appeared consistently on USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012.
To experience The Hunger Games online, please visit:
Official Website: http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/
Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/thehungergamesmovie
Official Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/thehungergames
Capitol Couture: http://www.capitolcouture.com/
About Universal Republic Records
A division of Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, Universal Republic is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning legends and superstar artists such as 3 Doors Down, Amy Winehouse, Black Sabbath, Colbie Caillat, Eddie Vedder, Enrique Iglesias, Florence + the Machine, Godsmack, Owl City, The Rolling Stones, The Voice (NBC-TV), Gotye, Of Monsters & Men, Mayer Hawthorne, among many others.
It is comprised of innovative imprints and digital business ventures including Republic Nashville (The Band Perry), Cash Money (Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj), Indie Pop (Dev, The Cataracs), Lava Records (Jessie J, Black Veil Brides), SRC (Akon, Melanie Fiona), Aware Records (Mat Kearney), Brushfire (Jack Johnson, G. Love), Tuff Gong (Damian Marley, Stephen Marley), Downtown (Miike Snow), among others.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution. new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men", "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie" along with the Golden Globe-winning drama "Boss" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne", its spinoff "Meet The Browns", "The Wendy Williams Show" "Are We There Yet?" and the upcoming "Anger Management."
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as THE LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE EXPENDABLES, MARGIN CALL, THE LAST EXORCISM and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company now has the two leading young adult franchises – the blockbuster TWILIGHT SAGA, which has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and the HUNGER GAMES franchise, whose first film will be released on March 23. Recent Summit hits include RED, LETTERS TO JULIET, KNOWING, the STEP UP franchise and the Academy Award winning Best Picture THE HURT LOCKER.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
Available as a Free Download Beginning Tuesday, March 27
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The chart-topping companion album to the Lionsgate® film, The Hunger Games, "THE HUNGER GAMES": SONGS FROM DISTRICT 12 AND BEYOND, will unlock a free download of "Deep in the Meadow (Lullaby)" performed by world-renowned musician Sting beginning March 27, 2012. The track can also be purchased as a single from major digital retailers.
"Lullaby" remains a centerpiece of THE HUNGER GAMES. In the story, the protagonist Katniss [Jennifer Lawrence] learns the song from her father who sang it to her as a child. Passing down the tradition, Katniss sings it to her little sister Primrose, as well as to fellow Tribute Rue, to calm their fears.
16-time Grammy Award winner Sting delivers a powerful and poetic rendition of “Lullaby,” produced by acclaimed singer-songwriter and producer T-Bone Burnett. The pair last collaborated on 2003’s “You Will Be My Ain’ True Love” for the film, Cold Mountain. The song was subsequently nominated for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe.
Upon purchasing the album, fans can go to www.thehungergamesmovie.com/lullaby in order to get the track as a free download.
As one of the world’s most respected performers, Sting recently celebrated his 25th anniversary as a solo artist with the release of the definitive box set collection 25 Years as well as The Best Of 25 Years. The free iPad app, STING 25, also serves as a commemoration of this milestone. He is currently on the celebrated Back to Bass world tour, and will soon embark on a tour throughout North America and Europe this summer.
Download "Deep in the Meadow (Lullaby)" by Sting on Tuesday March 27th.
About THE HUNGER GAMES
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.
Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister’s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she’s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, with a screenplay by Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 26 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following. It has spent more than 180 consecutive weeks/more than three consecutive years to date on The New York Times bestseller list since its publication in September 2008, and has also appeared consistently on USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012.
To experience The Hunger Games online, please visit:
Official Website: http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/
Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/thehungergamesmovie
Official Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/thehungergames
Capitol Couture: http://www.capitolcouture.com/
About Universal Republic Records
A division of Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, Universal Republic is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning legends and superstar artists such as 3 Doors Down, Amy Winehouse, Black Sabbath, Colbie Caillat, Eddie Vedder, Enrique Iglesias, Florence + the Machine, Godsmack, Owl City, The Rolling Stones, The Voice (NBC-TV), Gotye, Of Monsters & Men, Mayer Hawthorne, among many others.
It is comprised of innovative imprints and digital business ventures including Republic Nashville (The Band Perry), Cash Money (Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj), Indie Pop (Dev, The Cataracs), Lava Records (Jessie J, Black Veil Brides), SRC (Akon, Melanie Fiona), Aware Records (Mat Kearney), Brushfire (Jack Johnson, G. Love), Tuff Gong (Damian Marley, Stephen Marley), Downtown (Miike Snow), among others.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution. new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men", "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie" along with the Golden Globe-winning drama "Boss" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne", its spinoff "Meet The Browns", "The Wendy Williams Show" "Are We There Yet?" and the upcoming "Anger Management."
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as THE LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE EXPENDABLES, MARGIN CALL, THE LAST EXORCISM and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company now has the two leading young adult franchises – the blockbuster TWILIGHT SAGA, which has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and the HUNGER GAMES franchise, whose first film will be released on March 23. Recent Summit hits include RED, LETTERS TO JULIET, KNOWING, the STEP UP franchise and the Academy Award winning Best Picture THE HURT LOCKER.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
Review: "Slither" is a Truly Funny Horror Movie (Happy B'day, Nathan Fillion)
Slither (2006)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and gore and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: James Gunn
PRODUCERS: Paul Brooks and Eric Newman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gregory Middleton, CSC (director of photography)
EDITOR: John Axelrad
HORROR/COMEDY
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Tania Saulnier, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Don Thompson, Brenda Gutierrez, Jenna Fischer, and Lorena Gale
Screenwriter James Gunn has a diverse filmography of horror screenwriting credits, including Tromeo & Juliet (for famed B-movie studio, Troma Entertainment) and the 2002 TV-to-film, Scooby-Doo. In March of 2004, he became the first screenwriter in cinema history to write the back-to-back #1 movies at the weekend box office – for the “re-imagined” Dawn of the Dead (March 19) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (March 26). He takes his talent at cartoon scares, comic horror, and zombie movies and blends them into his debut as a writer/director, a creepy horror/comedy, Slither, that’s pure B-movie entertainment and that pulls no punches when it comes to gross out fun.
In the north woods town of Wheelsy, the redneck locals are preparing for deer hunting season, but something from the deep dark of outer space has crashed in the woods outside of town, and it’s ready to hunt in Wheelsy. When Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), one of the town’s richest citizens, starts acting strangely, his young wife, Starla (Elizabeth Banks), thinks that his behavior is something worse than what Grant says it is – a minor illness. When pets and livestock start turning up mutilated, Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) and his deputies peg Grant as their prime suspect, but they’re all about to find out that Grant is now a blood-thirsty monster. Soon Bill and Starla (former childhood sweethearts) are battling scores of giant slugs. A teenaged girl, Kylie Strutemyer (Tania Saulnier), also discovers that her parents are acting like… zombies.
Gunn’s film is a retro horror flick, recalling the films of John Carpenter and David Cronenberg – most notably two 50’s era B-movies that each director remade into 80’s horror classics, Carpenter’s The Thing and Cronenberg’s The Fly. Like those two films, Slither features lots of blood and guts, with huge servings of slime and goo, and Slither is also an action film. There’s not much in here in the way of teenagers hiding from vengeful ghosts or lonely women dodging knife-wielding psychopaths. People are running, screaming, and sometimes shooting, but they’re fighting for their lives against monsters that see them as meat for food or warm flesh for breeding stock.
Gunn also paints his film with broad strokes of camp humor, but it’s not so humorous that we can’t take anyone of it seriously. Slither has plenty of belly laughs, but so much of this flick is creepy – even some scenes that don’t involve monsters. There’s something rotten and backwards in Wheelsy. The citizens are unabashedly backwoods and, if they aren’t inbred, they act and look it. Perhaps, this is Gunn’s gentle ode to that classic scary movie setting – horror in a lonely, isolated small town.
Anyway, Slither is just a darn good horror movie – something for the viewer who likes some laughs with his gore. The cast is clearly in the spirit of things. Also, in an age when so many monsters are created in computers, half of Slither’s special effects are practical special effects and prosthetics with CGI used only when necessary. So, the crowd that loved The Evil Dead movies and found laughter in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (any of them) will find joy in this delightful flick that doesn’t deserve to disappear into horror movie oblivion.
7 of 10
B+
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
----------------
Monday, March 26, 2012
2012 Empire Awards Honors "Harry Potter" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
AN OUTSTANDING YEAR FOR BRITISH FILM
GARY OLDMAN WINS BEST ACTOR AWARD AS TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY DOMINATES
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 SCOOPS BEST FILM AND BEST DIRECTOR
THE INBETWEENERS WINS BEST COMEDY
Stars of the film world gathered on Sunday 25th March to celebrate the Jameson Empire Awards 2012 and to witness what has been an outstanding success for British film and British acting talent.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy dominated the awards, winning Best Thriller, Best British Film and Best Actor for Gary Oldman; closely followed by Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 which was awarded Best Director for David Yates and Best Film. The night also saw Kenneth Branagh’s Thor win Best Sci-Fi, Ben Palmer’s The Inbetweeners win Best Comedy and Ben Wheatley’s Kill List win Best Horror.
Further to Gary Oldman’s deserving win, British actors continued to lead the awards with Olivia Colman winning Best Actress for her role in Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur; Michael Fassbender won the Empire Hero award; and two of Britain’s rising stars won Best Newcomer - Tom Hiddleston for Thor and Felicity Jones for Like Crazy.
Tim Burton was honoured with the Empire Legend award. Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn shook off competition from Hugo, Harry Potter, Transformers and Thor to win The Art of 3D awardand Ron Howard was honoured with the Empire Inspiration award.
This year aspiring film makers from around the world flooded the popular amateur filmmaking award Done In 60 Seconds with their entries and the finalists include fantastic one-minute reprisals of films such as War Horse, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and The King’s Speech. However, there can only be one winner, and the judging panel, which included award-winning British actor and comedian, Chris O’Dowd, presenter Alex Zane, film director Gareth Edwards and Empire Editor Mark Dinning awarded the prize to Indira Suleimenova for Black Swan.
The Jameson Empire Awards are held after the industry voted events and are one of the only film awards to be voted for entirely by the public. Held at Grosvenor House Hotel and hosted for the first time by Lauren Laverne and Empire’s Chris Hewitt, stars in attendance included Gary Oldman, Danny De Vito, Agyness Deyn, Berenice Marlohe, James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Harry Hill and Michael Fassbender.
Mark Dinning, Empire’s Editor, said: “British movies have ruled the world in the past year, and we are delighted to see them rule the roost here tonight, too. The readers of Empire are the smartest academy out there and this year they have picked the very best winners from a terrific 12 months. With the Olympics and Euro 2012 just around the corner, our homegrown movie heroes have tonight kicked off a year we hope is packed with British triumph.”
Empire magazine, published by Bauer London Lifestyle Ltd, Empire is the World's biggest movie magazine and remains the biggest film magazine brand in the UK, outselling its nearest competitor by two to one. Launched in 1989, Empire has now grown to a total circulation of 167,056 (ABC Jul-Dec 11) with a worldwide readership of over 1 million. Empire online has 22 million page impressions per month and 2.2 million unique users. 2011 was a stand-out year for Empire, as it successfully launched its own fully-interactive iPad edition and a film event, Big Screen, at the O2.
Jameson Whiskey: Jameson Irish Whiskey is the world’s No.1 selling Irish whiskey and is amongst the elite of the fastest growing international spirit brands in the world. The success of this Irish brand is down to its great quality and smooth taste, coupled with a fantastic heritage, established in 1780 by the legendary John Jameson. It has the quality credentials which allow it to be consumed straight, but is versatile and is equally great when mixed.
The Jameson Empire Awards 2012 Winners List:
Best Film presented by Sky Movies
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Best British Film
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Director
David Yates - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Jameson Best Actor
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Actress
Olivia Colman -Tyrannosaur
Best Male Newcomer
Tom Hiddleston
Best Female Newcomer
Felicity Jones
The Art Of 3D presented by RealD
The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn
Best Comedy
The Inbetweeners Movie
Best Thriller
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Horror
Kill List
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thor
Empire Hero
Michael Fassbender
Empire Legend
Tim Burton
Empire Inspiration
Ron Howard
Done In 60 Seconds (to amateur filmmakers)
Indira Suleimenova for Black Swan
GARY OLDMAN WINS BEST ACTOR AWARD AS TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY DOMINATES
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 SCOOPS BEST FILM AND BEST DIRECTOR
THE INBETWEENERS WINS BEST COMEDY
Stars of the film world gathered on Sunday 25th March to celebrate the Jameson Empire Awards 2012 and to witness what has been an outstanding success for British film and British acting talent.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy dominated the awards, winning Best Thriller, Best British Film and Best Actor for Gary Oldman; closely followed by Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 which was awarded Best Director for David Yates and Best Film. The night also saw Kenneth Branagh’s Thor win Best Sci-Fi, Ben Palmer’s The Inbetweeners win Best Comedy and Ben Wheatley’s Kill List win Best Horror.
Further to Gary Oldman’s deserving win, British actors continued to lead the awards with Olivia Colman winning Best Actress for her role in Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur; Michael Fassbender won the Empire Hero award; and two of Britain’s rising stars won Best Newcomer - Tom Hiddleston for Thor and Felicity Jones for Like Crazy.
Tim Burton was honoured with the Empire Legend award. Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn shook off competition from Hugo, Harry Potter, Transformers and Thor to win The Art of 3D awardand Ron Howard was honoured with the Empire Inspiration award.
This year aspiring film makers from around the world flooded the popular amateur filmmaking award Done In 60 Seconds with their entries and the finalists include fantastic one-minute reprisals of films such as War Horse, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and The King’s Speech. However, there can only be one winner, and the judging panel, which included award-winning British actor and comedian, Chris O’Dowd, presenter Alex Zane, film director Gareth Edwards and Empire Editor Mark Dinning awarded the prize to Indira Suleimenova for Black Swan.
The Jameson Empire Awards are held after the industry voted events and are one of the only film awards to be voted for entirely by the public. Held at Grosvenor House Hotel and hosted for the first time by Lauren Laverne and Empire’s Chris Hewitt, stars in attendance included Gary Oldman, Danny De Vito, Agyness Deyn, Berenice Marlohe, James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Harry Hill and Michael Fassbender.
Mark Dinning, Empire’s Editor, said: “British movies have ruled the world in the past year, and we are delighted to see them rule the roost here tonight, too. The readers of Empire are the smartest academy out there and this year they have picked the very best winners from a terrific 12 months. With the Olympics and Euro 2012 just around the corner, our homegrown movie heroes have tonight kicked off a year we hope is packed with British triumph.”
Empire magazine, published by Bauer London Lifestyle Ltd, Empire is the World's biggest movie magazine and remains the biggest film magazine brand in the UK, outselling its nearest competitor by two to one. Launched in 1989, Empire has now grown to a total circulation of 167,056 (ABC Jul-Dec 11) with a worldwide readership of over 1 million. Empire online has 22 million page impressions per month and 2.2 million unique users. 2011 was a stand-out year for Empire, as it successfully launched its own fully-interactive iPad edition and a film event, Big Screen, at the O2.
Jameson Whiskey: Jameson Irish Whiskey is the world’s No.1 selling Irish whiskey and is amongst the elite of the fastest growing international spirit brands in the world. The success of this Irish brand is down to its great quality and smooth taste, coupled with a fantastic heritage, established in 1780 by the legendary John Jameson. It has the quality credentials which allow it to be consumed straight, but is versatile and is equally great when mixed.
The Jameson Empire Awards 2012 Winners List:
Best Film presented by Sky Movies
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Best British Film
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Director
David Yates - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Jameson Best Actor
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Actress
Olivia Colman -Tyrannosaur
Best Male Newcomer
Tom Hiddleston
Best Female Newcomer
Felicity Jones
The Art Of 3D presented by RealD
The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn
Best Comedy
The Inbetweeners Movie
Best Thriller
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Horror
Kill List
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thor
Empire Hero
Michael Fassbender
Empire Legend
Tim Burton
Empire Inspiration
Ron Howard
Done In 60 Seconds (to amateur filmmakers)
Indira Suleimenova for Black Swan
Review: 2005 Take on "Pride & Prejudice" is a Winning Romance (Happy B'day, Keira Knightley)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France/UK
Running time: 128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild thematic elements
DIRECTOR: Joe Wright
WRITER: Deborah Moggach (from the novel by Jane Austen)
PRODUCERS: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Paul Webster
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roman Osin (director of photography)
EDITOR: Paul Tothill
Academy Award nominee
ROMANCE/COMEDY/DRAMA
Starring: Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone, Talulah Riley, Carey Mulligan, Brenda Blethyn, Simon Woods, Matthew Macfadyen, Tom Hollander, and Donald Sutherland, Kelly Reilly, Tamzin Merchant, and Judi Dench
The subject of this movie review is Pride & Prejudice, a 2005 British romance film. This French-British production is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, which was first published in 1813. The 2005 movie was the second time the book had been adapted as a feature film, while there have been numerous television adaptations, including a few in non-English speaking countries.
Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) has five daughters: the radiantly beautiful Jane (Rosamund Pike, who is, of course, radiantly beautiful), the spirited Elizabeth or Lizzie (Keira Knightley), the feuding Mary (Talulah Riley) and Kitty (Carey Mulligan), and Lydia (Jena Malone), and the girls are well aware of their mother’s fixation on finding them husbands and securing their futures financially. Thus, begins a story of love, misunderstandings and class divisions in England in the 18th century.
The excitement and drama begins when a wealthy bachelor, Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), takes up residence in a mansion near the Bennets’ home. Serene and beautiful, Jane catches the eye of Mr. Bingley. Meanwhile, Lizzie catches the eye of her distant cousin, Mr. Collins (Tom Hollander), who, as the nearest male relative, will inherit the Bennets’ home upon the death of Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland). Lizzie refuses his offer of marriage, with support of her father who dotes on her, but angers her mother.
Mr. Bingley has an even wealthier friend, the snobbish Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). There is something between Lizzie and Mr. Darcy, but their many spirited and often quarrelsome encounters are not an encouragement for union. When Mr. Bingley abruptly leaves for London, Lizzie blames Mr. Darcy for contributing to what seemed like a likely marriage between Jane and Bingley. However, a crisis with the youngest daughter Lydia opens Lizzie’s eyes to what Mr. Darcy is really like. The fuss and confusion leaves no one unchanged, and forces each person to examine personal beliefs, but will it bring Mr. Bingley and Jane and Lizzie and Mr. Darcy together?
Working Title Films’ (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually) production of Pride & Prejudice is the first theatrical film version of Jane Austen’s classic 1813 novel in 65 years (since a 1940 film starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier). Director Joe Wright presents Austen’s novel of first impressions and the issues surrounding courtship and marriage among the landed gentry as a comic romance that satires the politics and procedures of engagements while still tugging at our heartstrings. If the film bears more than a striking resemblance to Ang Lee’s 1995 Jane Austen adaptation, Sense and Sensibility, it’s because Emma Thompson, who wrote and starred in that film, reportedly did extensive rewriting of Deborah Moggach’s screenplay for this film.
However, Sense and Sensibility was a somber drama with comic touches, while Pride and Prejudice is thoroughly romantic and comic. There are moments of serious contemplation and ugly class confrontation, but for the most part there’s comedy in the romantic goings-on. Dario Marianelli’s score, highlighted by lush and swirling piano melodies, capture both the mood of sweeping romance and sly comedy. The production values (costume, art direction, photography) juxtaposes the different environments: middle class and upper class, impeccably clean mansions and dusty middle class farmhouses with startling frankness that makes the audience understand how wide the division between classes was. It makes it easier to laugh at how Lizzie keeps missing the obvious about Mr. Darcy and at how Mr. Darcy seems so befuddled and clumsy for all that he shows arrogance and conceit on the surface. We can both laugh at and deeply appreciate Mrs. Bennet’s desperation in obtaining financial security for her daughters in the form of husbands who, if not well-to-do, have solid professions.
The performances are remarkable in that they fit a comedy so very well, although they would seem too light and flimsy were this straight drama. If Keira Knightley initially came across as wrong for the part in a Jane Austen adaptation, she proves that wrong. Her high-spirited, tomboyish persona and droll comic wit (which isn’t obvious unless you really pay attention to her in other movies) bring Lizzie to life as a fully realized, three-dimensional, rich character. Knightley understands the tone director Joe Wright set for his adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, and she meets it in this winning romance.
9 of 10
A+
NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 4 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Keira Knightley), “Best Achievement in Art Direction” (Sarah Greenwood-art director and Katie Spencer-set decorator), “Best Achievement in Costume Design” (Jacqueline Durran), and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Dario Marianelli)
2006 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer” (Joe Wright-director); 5 nominations: “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster, Joe Wright, and Deborah Moggach), “Best Costume Design” (Jacqueline Durran), “Best Make Up/Hair” (Fae Hammond), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Brenda Blethyn), and “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (Deborah Moggach)
2006 Golden Globes: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Keira Knightley)
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Review: Jennifer Lawrence Feeds "The Hunger Games"
The Hunger Games (2012)
Running time: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens
DIRECTOR: Gary Ross
WRITERS: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray (based upon the novel by Suzanne Collins)
PRODUCERS: Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tom Stern (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Stephen Mirrione and Juliette Welfling
COMPOSERS: T-Bone Burnett and James Newton Howard
SCI-FI/DRAMA/THRILLER
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Willow Shields, Liam Hemsworth, Toby Jones, Dayo Okeniyi, Alexander Ludwig, and Amandla Stenberg
The subject of this movie review is The Hunger Games, a 2012 dystopian science fiction film. Directed by Gary Ross, the film is based upon Suzanne Collins’ 2008 novel, The Hunger Games, which is the first novel in The Hunger Games trilogy. The film is set in a future in which teenagers fight to death on live television, and the story follows a 16-year-old young woman who volunteers to participate. Of note: Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh served as a second unit director on this movie.
The Hunger Games takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, and what was once North America is now the nation of Panem. Panem is composed of 12 districts and The Capitol, which rules over the districts. Every year, The Capitol takes one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts to become contestants or tributes in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment and part intimidation of the 12 districts, these games are broadcast throughout Panem, and the 24 participants must fight to the death until only one of them remains alive – the victor.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a 16-year-old teen living in the impoverished District 12. During the raffle to choose the district’s tributes, Katniss volunteers to take her sister’s place as a girl tribute in the 74th Hunger Games. Along with District 12’s boy tribute, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the decadent Capitol for the fight of her life.
I can say without reservation that The Hunger Games captures the sense of the life and death struggle of Katniss and her competitors. This is a science fiction film that is driven by character and intimate man vs. man confrontation – from sudden romance and friendship to cold-bloodied murder and assorted calculated cruelties. Not having the narrative space the novel has, the script efficiently depicts both the devastating poverty of District 12 and the detached self-indulgence and shameless plentitude of The Capitol.
However, Jennifer Lawrence is everything for this movie. Whatever problems this film may have, Lawrence’s skill-set as an actor delivers a performance that glosses over narrative and cinematic glitches. Pardon my lack of articulation, but homegirl is real. Here realness is why Lawrence comes across as genuine as a backwoods girl who fights to feed and house her younger siblings while the very hillbilly drug marketplace that killed her father is coming for her. In the series of scenes in The Hunger Games that takes Katniss from the moments before the battlefield to the start of the 74th Hunger Game, Lawrence sells Katniss’ nervousness. Her fear is palatable, and Lawrence uses her performance to transport us to the battlefield with Katniss.
There are other good performances. Of course, Stanley Tucci is good, but his goodness is breathtaking as the scary host with the most, Caesar Flickerman. Lenny Kravitz gives such a good turn as Katniss’ mentor, Cinna, that he leaves you wanting more. Still, Jennifer Lawrence is the show. She is to The Hunger Games what Robert De Niro is to Raging Bull, the star actor that makes a regular film into something special.
8 of 10
A
Sunday, March 25, 2012
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